When it comes to time to figure out what you want to do and where you want to go on your honeymoon, you shouldn’t just spin a globe, close your eyes, and see where your finger lands. Instead, you and your future spouse should begin researching your honeymoon by jotting down a few items on a piece of paper.

First you need to find out what your likes and dislikes are. Here are some questions to ask yourselves: Where have you traveled to before? Where have you always wanted to go? Do you like the beach or do you prefer to spend a vacation skiing? It’s best for you both to weigh what’s important to you in a vacation, which will help you narrow down where you want to go and what kind of honeymoon you want to take.

A travel agent can help you sift through this information and assist you in making the best honeymoon decision. Make an appointment with the travel agent about a year before your wedding. It’s not uncommon for popular honeymoon destinations to be booked 6 to 9 months ahead of time. Besides your travel preferences, one of the most important factors affecting your honeymoon decision is your budget.

With a travel agent, it’s pretty simple: you tell the travel agent what your dream honeymoon would be, he or she tells you how much it will cost, and then you narrow it down until you find the trip you’re happy with. What’s great about a travel agent is he or she can help you discover ways to cut costs on your honeymoon without compromising the quality of the trip. A good travel agent will send you away from your first meeting together with a handful of brochures to study. After your initial consultation with your travel agent, you can do the rest of your honeymoon planning over the phone. It may take two or more telephone calls to figure out all the details. However, once you decide on a destination, be prepared to start paying for your honeymoon.